‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ director Tobe Hooper has died, aged 74

The Los Angeles County Coroner has confirmed the influential filmmaker's death

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre director Tobe Hooper has died, aged 74.

The filmmaker passed away on Saturday (August 26) in Sherman Oaks, California. The Los Angeles County Coroner has confirmed has death, as Variety reports.

No cause of death has been revealed at the time of writing.

Hooper made the influential Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1974 for less than $300,000 (£233k). It was banned in multiple countries due to violence portrayed in it.

He was also credited with directing Stephen Spielberg’s 1982 film Poltergeist. Hooper adapted Stephen King’s novel Salem’s Lot into a TV miniseries in 1979 and was also the director behind the movies Lifeforce and Invaders From Mars.

The influential filmmaker also worked on a music video for Billy Idol‘s 1982 single ‘Dancing With Myself’.

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Hooper was born in Austin, Texas in 1943. Before he began working in film, he taught at college. He is survived by one son, William Tony Hooper.

Figures from the film world have begun to pay tribute to the late director. Composer John Carpenter wrote: “Tobe Hooper directed THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, a seminal work in horror cinema. He was a kind, decent man and my friend. A sad day.”

Edgar Wright added: “Very sad to hear of the passing of Tobe Hooper, another master of horror. He conjured some truly shattering, unforgettable moments in film.”

See those and more reactions below.

Tobe Hooper directed THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, a seminal work in horror cinema. He was a kind, decent man and my friend. A sad day.